Coastal countries at risk

The coastal country hardest hit over the 53-year period was the island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. The twin islands have lost 25.71 percent of their land area since 1961, around 35 square miles (90 square kilometers), or roughly the size of Disney World in Orlando.

Coming in second was the South American country of Ecuador. This country suffered a loss of 10.29 percent of its land, or about 11,000 square miles. This is about the area of Massachusetts.

While that's certainly more overall land lost than St. Kitts and Nevis, remember that the Caribbean nation is only about 101 square miles today. The percentage of lost land is significantly steeper compared to a country like Ecuador, which has an area of 109,484 square miles. On an island, there's simply less land to lose.

This chart shows the countries with the greatest percentage of land area lost since 1961. (Image: Statista)

The causes for the land losses go unspecified in the World Bank database, but the World Economic forum highlights the dangers of sea level rise and, particularly in the case of St. Kitts and Nevis, land lost due to severe storms.